Mother Earth LLC operates 53 growing houses throughout southern Chester County in West Grove, Oxford, and Landenberg, PA, and has built a robust legacy in the organic mushroom industry.

The category weathered the pandemic and things look solid in 2022.

Leslie Harden has been promoted to eastern region sales director for Monterey Mushrooms. She will manage fresh retail and foodservice mushroom sales, including the company's locations in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Florida.

Doing business in what’s known as The Mushroom Capital of the World, Kennett Square, PA-based Phillips Mushroom Farms is one of the largest growers of specialty mushrooms in the area.

“Phillips Mushroom Farms has been growing mushrooms in Kennett Square since 1927,” said Sean Steller, director of business development for the company. “Initially, mushrooms were distributed at markets and not transported very far due to perishability and lack of refrigeration. The industry has come a long way in just the last few decades.”

The Mushroom Council, based in Lee’s Summit, MO, is comprised of fresh market producers and importers that average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually.

How do you build a better burger? Through its popular website and magazine, Food Network is showing its audience just that with The Blend — the culinary technique of mixing finely chopped mushrooms and ground meat to make meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.

Benjamin (Ben) Mossing is Monterey Mushrooms' newest teammate, joining as a regional sales manager based out of Texas. Mossing will manage fresh retail and foodservice mushroom sales in the Southwest region.